Greg Hinz On Politics

Illinois' IOUs to social service agencies: $350 million and counting

In dribs and drabs, hundreds of Illinois social service agencies have let out some of the facts on how their services have been clobbered by the Springfield budget impasse.

Now we have a picture of the problem in far more detail, at least for one department. It's in the form of a list of contracts which were signed by the Illinois Department of Human Services for the fiscal year that began last July 1, but for which the agencies involved have not been paid because Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly have not appropriated the money.

The list was obtained by Voices for Illinois Children's Fiscal Policy Center. It covers a reported 800 unfunded contacts for $350 million in work. The group says it obtained the data from the Department of Human Services and that it covers unfunded contracts only for that department and not for others such as corrections, aging and children and family services, for which the tab almost certainly is hundreds of millions more.

The list on Voices site is a sobering collection of IOUs.

Like the $7.7 million owed to the Ounce of Prevention Fund for its healthy families and parents-to-be programs. The fund's president is Diana Rauner, otherwise known as the governor's wife.

Among some of the others who got contracts and have been doing the work but not getting paid are Cardinal Health, at $11.5 million; the city of Chicago at $22.2 million just for child care; $2 million to the Easter Seals program for early intervention; $6 million to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault; and $3.5 million to the Women's Treatment Center for anti-addiction programs.

Etc. etc. etc. Read the sad list for yourself

The General Assembly has passed legislation to appropriate $700 million for such programs, which is about half the regular level. But Rauner has some problems with the legislation, and has strongly hinted at a veto. Meanwhile, 64 groups have filed suit to try to get at least $100 million for particularly urgent cases.

At least the sun is shining.

Update, 4:10 p.m. — I asked Rauner’s folks if they wanted to comment on the list. Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly replies: “Gov. Rauner is focused on enacting a balanced budget alongside meaningful reforms that grow our economy. He remains hopeful we can get this done by May 31st."